More Than a Lab Rumour?
by csiny96
Summary: There had always been a rumour about Mac/Stella's love life in the NYC Crime Lab, but when Stella left, the rumour was errased. Now Jo Danville is 2nd in command, and with the new employee a new rumour; Mac/Jo. However will it become more than a rumour...
1. First Impressions

**More Than a Lab Rumour?**

**This is my first fic, so I'm sorry if it's not great! It's un-complete and I'm still deciding where I'm going to go with this and how far I'm going to go, so please bare with me! Okay, so I don't ANYTHING! (Although I wish I did!) All belongs to CBS, Jerry Bruckheimer etc. Please read and rate. Thank you!  
><strong>

Everything starts off with a first impression. But where will that impression take them? Jo is the replacement for Stella, and soon a new rumour replaces the old one in the lab, involving Mac's love-life. However, will it become more than a rumour, and if so, who will figure it out? JAC.

Chapter 1 – first impressions (based around the 34th floor ep).

Jo Danville had been working in the New York crime lab for 1 year, 2 months, 12 hours and 7 minutes. Meanwhile she had spent 1 year, 2 moths, 11 hours and 2 minutes falling in love with her boss, partner and friend; Detective Mac Taylor.

From the moment that she'd cast her eyes upon the brown haired, blue eyed detective she had felt a definite spark. One that you may expect to feel from the love of your life; your soul mate. She never had felt this way, even when she was with her now ex-husband, FBI agent, Russ Josephson. Of course, she never expected this growing love, but New York was throwing all kinds of surprises – even from day one. She'd arrived at an empty lab, wondering where everyone was. She was already nervous enough but then she happened to stumble upon a dead body. Her first day was already full of surprises, and she hadn't even met her boss yet. He was simply another surprise, except this was more of a pleasant surprise.

She could see his confusion appear across his face as she introduced herself and announced herself. "Hi, I'm Jo...Danville. I'm your new crime scene investigator... And this young woman is dead." Truth be told she hadn't expected to be attracted to him, but she had to make a good impression and show that she was serious. She new that at some point that there would be time to relax a bit. Horror swept over Mac's face as his mind registered what she had just said.

Danny and Hawkes soon got onto processing the scene and already she was starting to relax as Danny put her at ease, being relaxed about work. So she bit the bullet and made a small joke, much to Danny's approval. A small, tight lipped, but genuine, smile appeared on her face and she could see her getting along quite well with the team. She soon got back to what she was doing as she heard Mac talking down the phone, his voice showing that he was a bit tense and agitated about the situation that they were in. He quickly instructed all the lab techs to get back to work, and to stop being nosey. Jo was a little shocked at first but then relaxed; after all he was the boss. _'And a fine looking one at that' _her brain teases her as she tries to ignore her growing attraction. However his stern looks to his staff increased her attraction once again. Her nerves now starting to rise a little more and the only response she can think of is a small joke; just to ease any possible tension between the two.

"Well, I almost ran outta here." She joked as a small smirk appeared across Mac's lips. "Do you know who she is?"

"No. Definitely doesn't work in the lab."

"My first thought was, it's a practical joke. Welcome to the New York crime lab." She dared to tease.

"We usually savatage a pair of latex gloves or have a tech pose as a dead body in autopsy, then suddenly pops to life. Murder? Not our style."

"Good to know."

Her mind was racing. How could she be feeling this way? She only just met the man, and yet she can't keep herself from thinking about him. Wanting to ask questions. _'Is he married? Divorced? Kids maybe?_' Her mind was racing. _'Even if he isn't married he's probably dating or has a girlfriend. You have no chance, Jo. Just forget it. He's your boss for crying out loud!' _It was impossible to know if he was wearing on due to his latex gloves. _'Perfect!' _her brain cries. She knew that she had to impress him, and so stating as much about their vic was the way forward at this stage. She stated all of the obvious facts to show that she was capable of assessing a crime scene but then she decided to try and go the extra mile. Suggesting things about the unknown vic, that he may be oblivious to.

"Excessive make-up, which tells me that she was single but dating. The soles of her shoes were significantly worn, so I'd imagine she walks either from her home or to the subway, on her way to work. Hmm, ahh, the fragrance is a gift from a man, the scent is sweet, not floral."

"Do you happen to know her mother's maiden name?" Mac inquired, shocked but impressed by his newest member of his team.

"Just trying to make a good first impression with the boss." She answered truthfully, a smile creeping upon her face. Much to her delight, Mac mirrored her and a smile appeared upon his face. The face that she was rapidly falling for. He looked good when he was, smiling, curious, angry and even confused.

"You know what's so odd, I had to go through a pat-down, and practically give up my first born, to get through security and up to this lab." She stated trying to get back on track.

"We're gonna snip a lock of your hair before we give you a desk." Mac joked once again. _'Yes! He likes to have a joke but he's so respectful. He surely is taken. I'm never that lucky.' _Her brain torments again.

"My point being if she doesn't work in the crime lab, how did she get onto this floor?"

"Trust me. That's a question I definitely wanna answer."

Throughout the day, and case, Jo figured out many things about her co-workers and Mac. Lindsay appeared to be struggling with her medal that she had received for her courage and bravery saving Danny and Lucy's lives. Jo felt honoured to be working alongside her, but she could tell that Lindsay was missing her friend; Stella. She'd received a gift from Stella, and it showed how much she was struggling with things. Both the medal and Stella's departure. Jo felt bad, she'd replaced Stella in a way. Mainly her job position, as she could see that they all cared deeply about Stella and that no-one could ever really replace her.

Jo also figured things about her boss as well. He was a caring man, but amazingly single. She'd got some 'gossip' from lab techs and she'd filtered out the rumours and found the true evidence. His wife, Claire, had sadly died on 9/11. He'd put himself in a shell, and dug himself a hole to hide from the world and his true feelings. He'd had a relationship with a Medical Examiner, named Peyton Driscoll. It was going well, they even went to London together, but then she put him back behind his emotional shield and shoved him back in his hole, when she broke up with him through a 'Dear John' letter from London. Not that long ago, he'd met a woman called Aubrey Hunter. She was a doctor, but apart from a couple of dates, there was never anything more. The gossip and rumours that the lab techs had come up with were about him and Stella. They told Jo, that before Stella had left they were all certain that it was love between the two, and that they'd probably been dating for awhile. However, the rumour had died when she accepted to run her own lab in New Orleans, and she left New York, and more importantly, Mac. _'Maybe I have a chance...' _Her heart, almost praying that she does. _'Yeah right! He never made a move for Stella, why should you be so lucky?'_Her brain is quick to remind her and she's back to reality.

She was just relieved that this case had ended. She'd not expected all cases to be like this, but Mac had assured her that they get many like the one that they'd just solved. Even if this was not quite what she was expecting, something inside told her that the move to NYC was going to be a good thing. Maybe even life changing.


	2. Butterflies

Chapter 2 – Butterflies

**So here's chapter 2. Sorry it's taken so long to update, couldn't decide how to write this chapter! So if it's not very good then I apologise but I'm not sure where this is going to go, so… I still don't own anything and it contains minor spoilers form some episodes in season 7 that include Ellie, Tyler & Russ & it briefly mentions Stella's departure. I'd appreciate it if you R&R and let me know what you think. Thanks! **

She shocked me. There's no other way to put it. Everything about her and the presence that she held. I hadn't even read her file. I just knew her name and a few bits of information that Chief Sinclair offered me about her life.

'Jo Danville. Ex FBI turned Detective/CSI. She has a son, Tyler, and a daughter, Ellie. She's divorced to FBI agent Russ Josephson.'

I suppose Sinclair expected me to do my own research, but with everything that was going on, The Messers and Shane Casey, I didn't think about it much. My mind was elsewhere. Trying to help my team overcome the recent events of the nights when Casey had almost killed Danny and then to keep us strong and together when Stella left. When I couldn't help, she always could. We were the _'parents'_ of the lab. Without her here, I had to take on the mother role as well as playing father.

We'd just got back to the lab, and there she was. I tried to take everything in however I soon realised that wasn't possible in 2 seconds. First shock: there was a body in my lab – a _dead_ body. Second shock: Wait… Is she Jo Danville? Third shock: My stomach's doing summersaults and it _never _normally does that when meeting a new employee, dead body or no dead body.

I remember Jo's first day in the lab so clearly. I had so many questions, and some stayed unanswered, even to this day. The butterflies I felt in the pit of my stomach still make common appearances. I have no idea why they're there. I can't figure it out. Since Jo joined the team, we instantly hit it off. To be honest her southern charm seemed to work on everyone. Yeah, we all missed Stella, but she'd moved on and she was running a now very successful lab in New Orleans.

It didn't take long for me to meet Ellie. I was in the lab and saw a young teenage girl talking to a security guard; trying to get away. They both looked stressed and then Ellie ran into the lab further, the guard not far behind. That's when she ran into me.

"Oh my God, I'm sorry!" She sounded horrified and embarrassed. I nodded to the guard indicating that I could handle it.

"Can I help you?" I tried to make my words not sound too harsh, but keep my respect.

"Umm…I'm looking for my…Mom!" And with that she ran towards my partner and newest recruit, Jo Danville.

Jo's face was a picture as I imagine mine was also. I knew Jo had a daughter, but the girl didn't look a think like Jo. I was still in a state of shock, when Jo came up to me and apologised, whilst introducing me to Ellie. The young girl's face was even more of a picture when Jo introduced me.

"Ellie, this is First Grade Detective Mac Taylor. He's head of the crime lab, my partner and he's my boss. And Mac, this is Ellie, my daughter."

"I'm sorry Detective Taylor for running into you, but Mom, we need to leave. I hate it here! I miss my friends, and nobody like me. I'm being called a 'boff' and a 'geek' and other sorts of things! I hate it; we _have _to move back home Mom!" Even if these two didn't look alike, they were definitely mother and daughter. Ellie had all of Jo's character and it shone in her brightly. I gave a small smile to Jo, showing her that she had my support, sympathy and more importantly that I wasn't mad at her for what Ellie was saying or doing.

"Jo, if you need to have some time, we're not especially busy with a case at the moment so you can take some time…" I hesitated for a second, sensing that she was uncertain. "I promise I'll call you if we have any leads. Why don't you just take Ellie out to lunch so you two can talk. There's a great café a couple of blocks away, they do great snacks and the prices are reasonable." Mac said doing his best to reassure his friend.

"Are you sure Mac, I mean we can't sort this out later after my shift, can't we Ellie…" Mac shook his head.

"Jo, you're going now. If you won't take it as a favour from a friend then take it as an order from your boss. You need to sort something out; for both yours and Ellie's happiness. Okay?"

"Okay, thanks Mac. I'll be back as soon as this is sorted." And with that, Jo and Ellie walked out of the lab.

Since that day, Mac has become a close friend to the Danville's. He met Tyler when Ellie witnessed a murder on the tube. The circumstances of the case and why Ellie was there had been hard on Jo. She'd asked him for advice and he'd listened. It was a nice change to listen to Jo instead of her having to listen to Mac. He felt that he had some use and he was glad to see that any advice he gave was appreciated. He'd also met Russ when he came over to give some files to help on a case. He could see that Russ still had a thing for Jo and that's when it hit him. He was starting to figure out what all these butterflies were about…

He'd gotten used to the butterflies hitting him all the time, but this was a new kind of feeling. '_Am I jeal… NO. I can't be, that's ridiculous.' _Thoughts were rushing through his over worked brain. But then he saw Russ try to make a move on Jo. That's when it hit home. Mac Taylor was jealous of Russ flirting with Jo. He could clearly see that Jo didn't want to get back with her ex-husband, but jealousy was taking over him. _'Why Mac? Do you want her for yourself?' _His brain teases. '_No we're co-workers and friends. JUST friends. She's my partner. Nothing more.' _His brain argues back. _'Shut-up Taylor, remember the butterflies…'_ And that was it. His brain had won. Well, sort of.


	3. The New Rumour in the NCY Crime Lab

Chapter 3 – The New Rumour in the NYC Crime Lab

**Sorry that I haven't updated this for a while, again. Couldn't decide what to put in this, but this takes place after 'Identity Crisis', as I briefly mentioned that in the last chapter. It may mention little parts from 'Nothing for Something' but in future chapters I will be most likely ignoring 'Exit Strategy' and Mac's doubts. I think the next chapter will refer to the very beginning of chapter 1, so this one will be set in between. So, as always I own nothing. Please R&R!**

Mac Taylor and Jo Danville had become quite simply best friends, even though they'd only known each other for 9 months. However, as nice as 'simply' sounded; nothing was simple. The team had picked up on a shocking change from their boss. He was still their fearless leader, their very own _superman_, but he was also becoming more _human._ He smiled a lot more, would go out for a couple of drinks on a Friday night with the team and he would go home at night – instead of keeping his couch in his office company. Until now, they didn't know why he was doing this and they weren't sure who may be responsible for taking a little bit of charge in his life.

"Mac, you've haven't been home or slept in over two days now. Get some food, go home and sleep. Then, you can come back to work, fresh and ready to take on the cities criminals once again." Hawkes, Lindsay and Flack all looked at Jo as if she was crazy for telling Mac to go home. He would never do that, he never had for anyone. They very much doubted that things were going to change now. However, the surprise of their loves was just about to happen.

"Don't bother arguing Mac, you know I'm right. Don will take you to the restaurant around the corner. Grab something to eat and then he's gonna' take you home. We've got this scene covered, don't worry about a thing. If anything major happens, I'll let you know. Promise." She gave him a knowing smile, to which he could only smirk.

"Fine. I'll go eat and get some rest. But if anything crops up that I need to know then you need to let me know, unless you wanna' be fired." He had a tired but relaxed grin on his face. One that Jo just adored seeing, the one she fell head over heels for. While the two supervisors gazed into each other's eyes for a few intense seconds, their team stood in shock. For the first time ever, Mac Taylor had not argued back when someone was persuading him to eat and sleep.

After Jo broke the connection, regrettably, she glanced up at Flack. "Get him outta' here Don, before he starts to change his mind." Flack only just managed to nod a 'yes' whilst trying not to look too shocked. Quickly Lindsay and Hawkes compose themselves and get back on track with collecting evidence, as Mac and Don walked away from the scene.

"How did you do that Jo? He _always _argues back…" Lindsay asked whilst trying to figure out what had just happened.

"To be honest, I don't know. He argues back sometimes, but he's starting to give in more quickly recently. The first time I tried, we were talking for an hour and a half before he agreed to get a bite to eat and go home. Even if it was for only 3 hours sleep…"

"You've managed before? Where have you been all this while, you're like a miracle worker." With that Lindsay carried on collecting up her evidence, letting her thoughts wander.

'_What the hell is going on between them two? I mean, Stella could get him to leave the office before, but not always, and it sounded like she'd never been defeated… Getting him to leave a crime scene though, that's a miracle. I HAVE to tell Danny about this, he won't believe it! I wonder if something's going on between the two of them. They have been going out for a lot of dinners and they spend so much time together…' _Lindsay Messer's mind was going into overload, but how could it not?

"Danny!"

"Hey there Montana, what's up? You scared the life outta' me!"

"Sorry babe, I'm just excited but confused and I don't know what to think!" She mumbled to her husband, with her forehead crinkled as she thought about what she had witnessed just a few hours earlier. But before she could explain anymore to a now curious looking Danny, Flack's booming voice erupted throughout the lab.

"Mac Taylor is now successfully fed and now tucked up in bed at home, not planning on returning for a few hours. I have to say, I _never _thought that I would say that or believe that, but it's true. And _I _witnessed this miracle!" As Don proudly made his announcement, Danny's face was a picture of disbelief and shock. His jaw was dropped and he only managed to splutter a word, asking for an explanation. "H-how?"

"Jo sent him from the scene, that's what I was what I wanted to talk to you about… I don't see how she managed it, but he didn't argue!"

Danny's voice had now come back as everything was kind of starting to sink in. "You mean he didn't even argue back once? Not a tiny protest…"

"Not one." Flack stated, almost as if it was he that had gotten the most stubborn detective to do what was best for his health. "So do we think that there's something going on? Cause I have a feel of a bet coming on Messer. Mac and Stella never came to anything more than hugs and kisses on the cheek, but I'd say we gotta' bigger chance here. How 'bout you Linds? What'd you think?"

"I agree, but I think that there's already something going off. Whether they know it or not. They were looking into each other's eyes so intently at the scene, that maybe they've already acted on it. But if there's a bet, I'm going for it big time! There's no denying what's between the two of them. And Danny, wipe that look of shock from your pretty little face 'cause you see it two and it'll be a good money maker." Lindsay paused for a moment and then she saw Adam walking nearby. "Hey, Adam!" The young lab tech quickly walked in curious of what she wanted. "So, Mac and Jo. What d'you think?"

He looked uneasy at first but then a confident grin came onto his face as he started to state his thoughts. "Oh yeah! I heard about this morning, it's going around like a wild fire! I would definitely say that they're together, or if they're not together yet I think it will happen soon. Mac keeps on putting his hand on her back, and I know that he's a gentleman and everything but the look in his eyes looks full of love and passion for her. And the way she looks back, there's definitely the spark you expect from people who are made for each other. They also hug a lot when she gets him to leave at night or when she's leaving before him, when they're saying goodbye. So yeah, if you wanna start a bet on them two, I'm in. About half the lab will be as well, especially as this morning's event is creating more rumours about them than before!" Lindsay, Danny and Don all looked shocked at Adam. They couldn't believe how well he'd picked up some of the minor details that they had even failed to notice.

As if reading their minds, he answered, "Hey, I'm not here for fun. I'm a detective, just like you guys. But today has shown me that maybe I'm just better than you are." With that last line, he strolled away his head held high, as the others just stood there in shock of what he had just said.

"Well, I think we just got ourselves another lab rumour to keep under wraps from our bosses" Flack said with a wide grin.

**I hope you liked this, I wanted to put the others in this one a bit more and although it doesn't explain how Mac and Jo are feeling, I needed to create the new lab rumour a bit, so I hope this chapter is okay. I'll try and update sooner on chapter 4, but I need to write it first! Thanks for reading!**


	4. Is this the end, or just the beginning?

Chapter 4 – Is this the end, or just the beginning?

**Here's chapter 4, I had this idea in my head and I contemplated using it for another fic, but decided to put it in this one. The majority of this is in Jo's POV. There's a little bit of suspense in this and a bit of a cliff-hanger so watch out! Hopefully you'll like it. The next chapter will probably go back to how I started this fic and that time frame or it will be in the chapter after that. At the moment I'm not really sure. Still own nothing. Please just read & rate once again, your reviews are really appreciated – Thank you!**

It all happened so fast. Mac, Jo and Don had gone to pick up a suspect from their apartment. The usual drill had taken place, Don and Mac leading the way, letting Jo hang back a little. "NYPD! Open up!" Don had banged on the door whilst hollering the well known line. There was scuffling heard from inside. And that's where it all began…

"NYPD! I said open up!" Flack screamed once again, this time kicking the door in. Him and Mac both went in guns ready to fired. I slowly entered double checking, but less alert due to my colleagues who were in fact in more danger than I was myself. Or so I thought. I was taking in my surroundings. To say the apartment was a dump would be an understatement. I was starting to question if it would have been better to have oxygen masks on instead of being armed with guns. My train of thought stopped abruptly as I heard Mac yelling "Don you take the stairs, I'll follow him to the alley!"

'_Why couldn't this be an easy arrest? Why did these criminals insist on running all the time? You wanna do the crime, then prepare yourself to do the time…' _I mentally shook myself once again at the stupid thought that criminals might actually want to make my life easy for a change. I knew it was time to get back to work as Don ran past me heading for the exit stairs, as I took the lift. I didn't mind taking a back seat in the chases, I never liked running, especially if it wasn't _that _necessary.

The lift ride down to the lobby felt like it was taking forever, letting my mind, once again, to wander. My thoughts instantly wandered to Mac. God, he held so much power over me and I could do nothing about it. A broad smile covered my face as I remembered the night before. We'd gone out for a bite to eat. Yeah, I admit it was just a burger and we went as friends, but every time we go out for a drink, coffee, bite to eat, dinner, it _always _feels special. _He's_ special. He holds my heart, whether he knows it or not. There conversations often were based on fairly meaningless subjects, but at the same time they held so much purpose. She saw a different Mac Taylor to the one that everyone saw at work. He loosened up around her. Smiled at lot more, joked, he showed an inner child – a care-free non-serious free young sole. She loved being the only one that knew about this hidden identity of his. She felt special, almost as if she was the chosen one.

Last night's events hadn't stopped replaying in her mind all day. They had bought a couple of hot dogs from a stand a couple of blocks from the lab, as a midnight snack, and a couple of bottles of water. They were walking through central park laughing and joking, on the way to Jo's apartment, before Mac would be heading home himself as he always insisted on being the gentleman – not that she minded – when Jo felt something wet hit the back of her neck. She stopped puzzled for a second; when she felt more hit her back. She slowly turned around to see the once sensible Mac Taylor smirking with his bottle of water in his hand, trying to act innocent by looking up towards the trees.

'_Y'know, two can play this game Taylor." _His smirk grew into a smile, failing to hide his building laughter and sniggering. _'Oh, sod it! You're on!' _And with that last comment Jo chucked some of her water over the detectives head. He fought back pouring more water over her, but this time in her hair, causing a playful, mock-hurt/angry expression to cover Jo's face as she burst into fits of laughter as they continued to pour the rest of the water from the bottles over each other's heads. They were both stood in the middle of the park, drenched, with grins plastered over both of their faces. Every time the laughter seized, they caught a glimpse of humour and cheekiness in the other's eyes and it soon resumed.

They finally recomposed themselves, well as best as they could when drenched, and continued to stroll in the fresh April evening. That's when a conversation that struck Jo the most started. _'So, you heard the new rumour in the lab?' _Until that moment they'd been silent for a good five minutes, she was glad for another conversation but she was shocked that it was about this subject.

'_Yeah, I heard there's a bet going on as well. Bizarre, huh?'_

'_Sure, I mean of course I can kinda see where they're coming from. Well, you know, we're close. Closer than some people would expect…' _He sounded unsure, so she had decided to put the conversation to bed; for now.

'_Yeah, we are good friends, and I love how we can be ourselves around each other. We have a good bond Mac, and to be honest let them have a rumour. It's only a couple of weeks old, shows that they're not good at hiding things from their superiors… It'll be forgotten about in a few weeks, I'm sure.'_ His face had relaxed a little, and they had continued to walk.

Jo's thoughts were broken once again as the elevator doors opened and she was reminded of her task to find the two detectives who were pursuing their suspect. She ran towards the door leading to the back alley, when she heard the first shot being fired. She grabbed her gun once again and pushed open the exit door ensuring that she was in the right frame of mind for a possible shoot-out. Two more shots were fired. She heard a couple of screams of pain, as she headed for the entrance of the alley. The two screams of pain sounded different, one was just a scream the other had a weird effect on her. She felt uneasy and almost pained by it herself. As she got to the entrance of the alley she heard Flack shout.

"I got him!" For a moment relief took over but then it was quickly erased as she heard Don scream into his radio.

"We got an officer down, two rounds, need emergency medical assistance! Unknown state…" It hit Jo, she saw him. There was blood. A lot of it. But even worse, he laid still. Not even moving an inch. Her heart broke at an instant, '_Is he dead? Oh God no. He can't be… I can't lose him, not now not ever.'_ Her mind was screaming as her body just stood there frozen staring at the sight. However, it didn't last long. She felt her legs running towards him.

"MAC! Mac, oh my… Mac look at me!" No movement. "Please, please just open your eyes, darlin'. I _can't _lose you, Mac. Please…" Tears were now rolling down her face at full pelt, hitting his face, disappearing into his bristle. Don came over, placing his hands on her shoulders, pulling her up.

"Jo, don't try and move him. The paramedics are on their way. He – he was pushed over the edge. The suspect… the suspect hid and waited for him. I turned round the corner just to see it happening. He shot Mac twice even when we was on the ground. The third shot was from me. I, I'm sorry Jo. I couldn't stop him. I- I didn't have time." Flack's voice was breaking up, as they looked over their boss, knowing that they couldn't move him or help him apart from being close by.

"Mac's strong, Jo. He'll pull through this, he always pulls through." Don had now got a similar amount of tears flowing from his blue orbs, as Jo had flowing from the depths of her hazel eyes. They just embraced each other, helping the other one to stay standing and avoiding crumpling up on the floor.

They heard the ambulance and other police cars nearing the scene, and the officer holding the suspect walked towards the police car waiting to take him to the precinct. The paramedics rushed round the corner to Mac, and all Jo could do was stand and watch them try to do their best for him. She was helpless. It was the worst feeling, and it just made more tears stream down her face.

"You go with him in the ambulance. I'll go back to the precinct and get this guy booked. I'll get Lindsay to come meet you at the hospital and then I'll be there as soon as I can alright? Danny and Hawkes can process here." Flack managed to compose himself and him and Jo separated. She walked after the stretcher that had just carried her darling Mac away into the ambulance as she saw Flack go towards the car. She knew this would have a big effect on everyone, not just her. Mac was loved by all of the team; he was a fatherly figure that they needed to function properly.

The ambulance sirens went on and they were soon speeding away from the scene. The paramedics started assessing Mac's condition. "Two gunshot wounds; one to the lower abdomen and one to the collarbone. Possible spinal injury, un-responsive at the moment. We've got a weak pulse, needs help breathing." They carried on babbling about various things but only one thing stuck with her. "We need to get him to the hospital as soon as possible, his chances are slim. I'm surprised we've got a pulse now." The man's words haunted her.

She felt sick at the prospect of losing him. She hadn't been looking forward to her original plans for tonight; microwave meal, Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough, a bottle of wine, the couch and a film, but now she wished that none of this had happened and she wanted nothing more than to have those plans back and for Mac to be safe. If she lost him tonight, then they would never get any more of those crazy memories; like the ones that they'd created last night, and she'd never get to tell him how much she loved him.

Could he really die before they could even give a go at having a relationship that consisted of friendship, passion, lust, desire and pure love? Well, after tonight, maybe she will never know. Was tonight going to be the end of Detective Mac Taylor?

**I'll try to update soon, let me know if you liked this sort of chapter or not… Thanks **


	5. Irreplaceable

Chapter 5 - Irreplaceable

**Here's chapter 5, I'm sorry that it's taken so long and that I left you on a cliff-hanger but school's been a nightmare for the past couple of weeks, so I've only just had chance to start thinking about this chapter. I do not own anything, characters, the show etc. (I wish I did though!) I hope you like this chapter, and please review as I love reading them & knowing that people are reading, as well as liking, this fic. I've had a load of different story plots in my head, but not all are going to be in this as I'm planning other fics & one-shots. Also, I'm from the UK & haven't been to New York so I may be vague with locations but if I mention places then it's cause I've briefly heard of them – sorry if they're not quite accurate! Anyway as always please R&R! Beth **

The ambulance screamed into the entrance of the hospital and a crowd of doctors in scrubs and various other outfits came rushing to the now opened doors of the van. Mac's stretcher was quickly wheeled away leaving Jo to rush behind them trying to make some sense of what they were saying and what it meant for Mac. They were running through the corridors of the hospital before Jo was finally stopped by a nurse.

"I'm sorry ma'am but you can't go any further now. There is a waiting room down there and a Det. Taylor's doctor will come and talk to you when they know more." She could only nod as she stared through the doors where the love of her life had just been taken. She finally tore her eyes and followed the nurse's gaze towards a waiting room door. She slowly approached the room and then went inside, glad that it was empty. She couldn't sit, so she paced. She was now out of the loop of what Mac's condition was and she couldn't settle. The juicy tears had now stopped and the shock was starting to wear off as it sunk in. She wished it was all just a terrible nightmare, and that by some miracle she would wake up to find herself safely wrapped in his arms. But that was impossible – they hadn't moved on from friends and neither had admitted any serious feelings of love. Jo didn't even know if he felt the same way, she just hoped with all her heart that she would be lucky enough to ask him even if he didn't give the answer that she's been hoping for. Just then, the door swung open and she quickly spun on her heel, expecting to see Mac's doctor. Instead she was greeted with a confused, upset looking Lindsay.

They looked at each other, trying to read each other's minds whilst staying strong for the other. However that strength disappeared as tears spilled from Jo's blood-shot eyes. She started to break down as Lindsay rushed to her side.

"Oh, Jo." Those two simple words were all Lindsay's shaky voice could manage. They embraced each other as Jo's tears turned into cries and painful sobs. She was shaking and Lindsay couldn't hold up any longer as tears too spilled from her eyes. They just held onto each other, they needed to know that they weren't alone. It helped ease the pain slightly of the prospects of losing Mac.

After holding onto each other for a good 10 minutes, they slid apart. Jo's sobs had died down a bit and they sat on the couch in the room. They sat there for a couple of minutes letting the salty tears run down their cheeks with mascara and eye liner tingeing their cheeks. Jo finally broke the silence.

"I – I'm scared Lindsay. I don't think I could function without him anymore. I know I managed before I came to New York and before I met him, but he's such a big part to my life. Even to Tyler and Ellie's lives." She paused letting a small sob out before carrying on. "He looked so pale and weak when he was in that alley. His blood was just… it was just everywhere. They said that his…that his…" She broke down once again, crying louder than before, but still managing to complete her sentence to Lindsay who was tearing up herself again. "That his chances are slim." She said it on a sigh, almost of defeat. She couldn't change the truth and reality of what was going on and she was getting to grips with that.

Lindsay was crying, a little more than Jo now, but she spoke up – a need to say her feelings, worries and nerves powered her shaky voice. "I've been in New York for 6 years now and from my first day he made me feel welcomed. I remember him telling me to not call him 'Sir' as Danny had stupidly convinced me that Mac insisted on being called that. Over the years he's become more and more of a father away from home to me. I love him as if he was my dad, and he's always been there for me. He's been ready to kill Danny when he's upset me in some way and he's been there for Danny when he needed his support. And then when we had Lucy, he looked so overjoyed that we'd asked him to be her Godfather. He looked so proud, he was even more like my father from that day. He supported me when I had to go to Montana to court as the only witness. He hugged me, and he gave me the confidence and reassurance I needed. I was worried he was going to flip at me having to leave but he didn't. He was concerned. I felt like he was my Daddy. I felt safe. I don't know what I'll do if he doesn't make it. Lucy loves her Uncle Mac to bits. I don't think we'd cope." Lindsay had now completely broken down, as Jo was now doing most of the comforting.

Jo knew how much Lucy loves Mac. Whenever Lucy was in the lab she'd go looking for him and force him to take a five minute break. She had him twisted around her little finger and Mac couldn't help but spoil her rotten. Jo knew, just as much as Lindsay, that if Mac was to die then the whole team or as they liked to call it, their family, would break apart. Be destroyed. It would never be the same again. They knew it. He was irreplaceable.

Just then the door opened once more. They both looked up to see a doctor in scrubs. "I'm Doctor Samuels, I'm presuming you're both here for Det. Taylor…"

**Another cliff-hanger for you! I'm sorry about the wait for this chapter, but I've already started to write a bit on the next chapter. This was going to be a bit longer but I liked leaving it on 'He was irreplaceable.' even if I did add a little more to increase the suspense. I've turned a little evil! I'll try and get the next chap up soon and I finish school next week so I'll then have plenty of time to write! As always, please R&R it's much appreciated! Beth **


	6. Holding On and Letting Go

Chapter 6 – Holding On and Letting Go

**Hey! So this is probably the fastest I've updated this story yet and I really hope you like it. I really wanted to write about what Mac was feeling and what he was going through so there's a little bit more of Jo and Lindsay and a bit of Don as well but then it's more Mac and what's happening from his perspective. It's also a bit longer than the others to make up for the last chapter being so short. I've also added in some lyrics from 'Holding On and Letting Go' by Ross Copperman as I love that song and I felt it fitted really well. If you're not sure which song it is, then it's the one used at the end of 'Exit Strategy'. So anyway…Please R&R, as I love reviews, and nothing is mine (including the song this time). Enjoy!**

Just then the door opened once more. They both looked up to see a doctor in scrubs. "I'm Doctor Samuels, I'm presuming you're both here for Det. Taylor…" They both nodded, too nervous to speak.

"Det. Taylor has got a lot of serious injuries but we have assessed him and we believe that even though his chances are low, there is a possibility that he will be able to pull through surgery. We will be removing the bullets and we will also have to carry out surgery on his back to try and repair the damage as much as we can at this stage. The surgery will take several hours and I can't deny that they won't be intense and long hours. I promise you that we will do our very best for him but you may have to be prepared for the worst." The doctor nodded in acknowledgement to Lindsay as she held onto Jo once again, giving a silent agreement to try his best to save Mac's life and to keep them updated.

Sobs and cries shook through Jo's body. Lindsay was surprised how Jo had any more tears left, as she could no longer cry. Her mind was going frantic. She felt physically sick at the thoughts of Mac never being in the lab, or just around, anymore. She shook the thought away, trying to be strong for the new extremely looking weak Jo.

A few minutes passed and then the door creaked open. Don slowly walked into the room, registering his surroundings and the expressions on his colleagues and friends faces. From just seeing how broken up Jo was he knew that there probably wasn't going to be good news that Lindsay could share.

"Um… Have you heard anything yet?" His voice was croaky and he sounded scared to even ask that question, terrified of the answer that would be provided.

"The doctor said that they're going ahead with surgery but…" Lindsay paused for a second to steady her voice. "…no promises." She couldn't bring herself to say it in full and she knew that Flack would understand her. He nodded his head sadly and took a seat besides Jo on the couch. He rested his hand on her shoulder giving it a small squeeze, as she hadn't even moved since he came in. She slowly left Lindsay's grasp and fell into his chest as more heart-wrenching sobs took over her tired body. She was utterly exhausted with all the adrenaline and exhaustion of emotions that this day was bringing but she knew that as always, there was no escape. After all; this is real life – not dreamland.

Mac Taylor ached, and felt extremely dizzy. He remembered him and Flack pursuing a suspect with Jo not too far behind as usual. He would never let her go head first into the pursuits as he couldn't bare to live with himself if she was ever hurt. Not his darling Jo. He'd figured that he was very much in love with her but he hadn't found a perfect moment to tell her his feelings, and to have the confidence to tell her, at the same time.

He'd followed the suspect, as Flack had taken the stairs, and climbed down the fire escape. He had done this kind of run many times before, as most criminals in New York seem to like to jump down into the alleys below their apartments when deciding to run. He'd almost caught up with him with about to flights of stairs to climb down, when he lost sight of the man. He seemed to be there one minute and the next he was gone. Mac rushed to the small platform and he just turned his head to see the perp charge at him and shoved him over the railings. He was shocked and he grasped for the railing but only his fingertips brushed the cold steel surface as he fell towards the hard concrete ground in the alley below.

He couldn't believe it. He couldn't be falling. This couldn't be true, it had to be a dream. Actually, it should be a nightmare. Dreams were always much more pleasant, his often consisted of Jo these days. Her face flashed in front of his eyes as he was falling. He never got the chance to say anything to her. Her beautiful hazel eyes engraved themselves into his brain. He loved how they sometimes had a blue tinge to them when she would be talking to him or when they were in certain lights.

His thoughts were cut short as he felt the impact of the ground surge pain throughout his body. It instantly ached and made him feel sick. He felt as if all of his insides were being shaken up and he couldn't do anything about it. He struggled for breath, and consciousness, as his mind drifted to around a year ago when he was chucked over a balcony. He'd landed on his chest that time and ended up with some broken ribs and he broke his right arm. Apart from that he'd recovered pretty quickly and returned to work quite soon. But even though he hadn't blacked out straight away he felt worse and then he saw the suspect jump down the last few steps and head towards him.

'_Shit.' _The perp looked over at him and saw Mac breathing jagged breaths and his eyes flickering, trying to recover quickly. Then he pulled a gun out the back of his pants and shot twice at Mac, as Flack rounded the corner. His shots were unsteady. The first hit his lower abdomen which caused Mac to jolt in pain as he made a sickening scream of pain. He clutched the wound when the perp fired the gun hastily at Mac again, but hitting his left shoulder. Mac was already having trouble breathing after the fall, the second shot made him extremely close to unconsciousness but then the second shot did it. One more piercing scream and then blackness.

Mac was engulfed into unconsciousness as all visions disappeared. It was just black. Nothing else was there to be seen. He couldn't even picture Jo's sparkling eyes. He felt paralysed and he knew that he was slowly starting a journey towards the end. Being conscious felt impossible.

It was still black and he wondered if anything would actually happen or if this was possibly forever. He had registered that he couldn't move anything below his waist from the fall and with these two gunshots, his fate wasn't looking promising. He was getting used to this taunting blackness. He thought that he'd given up but at the same time he felt hope. He had something to live for, his friends, colleagues, Lucy and of course; Jo. He wasn't ready to give up this fight just like that. He couldn't face to let the bastard who had done this to him to win. Mac Taylor was a fighter. Hell he was a marine. He fought in wars and served his country. Over his time he'd saved many lives and sadly lost some along the way, but he was a fighter and a stubborn one at that.

He was still weighing out his options of holding on and letting go to life, when a beautiful, southern voice entered his thoughts. He knew instantly that it was his beautiful Jo. He found it funny how now when he thought of her, he thought of her as '_his'_. Except this situation wasn't funny. She sounded terrified. Upset. Panicked. Scared. Then he noticed it. She was crying. He could hear her, but she sounded so far away. He wanted to open his eyes to gaze into hers but he didn't have the strength. H sensed her touching him, but he couldn't really _feel _it. After a few seconds, she disappeared. He felt so sad, lonely. What had happened? Why had she left him? He needed her to survive. He'd been taunted with the strength that she gave off and now it had been ripped away from him. His mind was swaying towards 'letting go'.

'_Is anybody out there?_

_Is anybody listening? _

_Does anybody really know,_

_If it's the end of the beginning?'_

He thought he'd heard muffled voices in the background, but he never heard Jo's again. _What's happening to me? Why can't I hear Jo? I __need__ Jo to get through this!_ His mind was racing and he felt himself drift away from the voices. The only voice he knew that would help was Jo's. But even if she spoke up now, he wouldn't be able to hear it. He'd drifted too far. It was too black. To eerie. He didn't know if this was what he wanted or not. He was just aching and tired. He wanted to just relax, forget about all the stress and worries of his life and not have a care in the world.

'_It's everything you wanted, it's everything you don't._

_It's one door swinging open and one door swinging closed._

_Some prayers find an answer, some prayers never know._

_We're holding on and letting go…'_

He woke seemed to come further out of the depths after what felt like forever. Yes, it was still black, but he felt a little closer to the living somehow. He was confused. He couldn't decide what he wanted. Ever since Claire had died on 9/11 he had wanted almost nothing more to be close to her once again. However he had always known that he had things to live for. Heck, Stella had driven that into him and as the years had passed he had learnt and seen how much his team, his friends and family, came to rely on him so much. He also had learnt more recently, that he had let go of Claire to a certain degree that he could move on, with her only holding a small amount of his heart now. He wanted so badly to move on with Jo. He knew that she held forever and he wanted that. Until now, he probably hadn't even realised how much he wanted that forever with Jo and how much he craved the prospect of it.

'_Sometimes we're holding angels,_

_And we never even know._

_Don't know if we'll make it._

_But we know, we just can't let it show.'_

He felt like that he had been given a choice. He had to decide which door to open and which to close. Yeah, it would be so easy to give up and end it all. He could be close to Claire once again, but he knew that she would've been mad at him for just giving up so easily and say that he had so much to live for. And with that, Mac Taylor decided which door to close and which one to open and what he was going to hold on to and what he was going to let go…

'_Some payers find an answer,_

_Some prayers never know._

_We're holding on and letting go…'_

**What did you think? Good, bad? Please let me know and I'll try to update soon! Beth **


	7. The Wait

Chapter 7 – The Wait

**Hey, thanks for all the reviews, I love reading them and they're massively appreciated! This chapter's quite long and I hope you enjoy it! I'm planning on doing some shorter fics now it's the holidays and I'm hoping to write this one a bit faster and update it sooner each time! I don't own anything, as always, and please R&R! Enjoy! **

Danny let out a frustrated sigh as he glanced at the green flashing digits on the clock on the wall, in the hospitals waiting room, once again. It had been just over 8 hours since Mac had been shot and it was heading towards 9pm. The rest of the team had joined Jo, Lindsay and Flack a couple of hours after Mac had arrived and none of them intended to go home or leave the hospital until they had received some sort of news about Mac's state. Danny was sat on the end of the couch with Lindsay cuddled into his side, asleep on his shoulder, whilst Lucy had fallen asleep between them with her head on his lap. Lindsay's emotions had tired her out and Lucy had resulted to sleeping due to the lack of things to do. On the other end of the couch Jo was curled up with Ellie held protectively in her arms. Tyler was sat on the floor where their feet should be, both children silently supporting and comforting their mother. Don was sat on one of the chairs just staring at his hands trying to hold back all memories and emotions that hospital waiting rooms brought to him, as memories of the day Jess had died were replaying themselves on a constant loop in his head. Adam was sat in the corner, flicking through a gadget magazine but not paying any attention to it. However, Sid, who was sat next to him, was reading through a medical magazine with much concentration. Hawkes was the only one who wasn't sat down; instead he was pacing the room. He wished that he wasn't such an expert at this point in time, as he knew that the longer the wait to hear some news, that Mac's condition was getting worse and that with the injuries he'd sustained that his chances were looking slimmer and slimmer.

Everyone felt emotionally drained. At some point everyone had let a few tears spill, even if they'd hidden them. This was all they could do until they heard news. Jo was simply staring into space, her only support were Tyler and Ellie. As soon as they'd shown up, she'd tried to hide how weak and scared she truly was and even though she hadn't broken down in front of them, the two could easily tell that she'd been in a much worse state earlier that day. Jo couldn't get the image of Mac's lifeless body out of her head and her mind. She couldn't help replay her time in New York over and over. She had so many amazing memories shared with Mac, the last one being the night before. Her heart ached at the thought of losing the man she loved forever.

Out of the silence, the door slowly clicked open as an exhausted looking doctor walked into the room. At this sound, Lindsay jolted into a sitting position whilst Lucy's eyes cracked open. Both Jo and Don jumped up instantly whilst everyone else stopped what they were doing and attached their eyes to the doctor, begging him silently to say something.

"I'm Doctor Samuels, I spoke to a couple of you earlier about Det. Taylor…" He looked towards Jo and Lindsay who both slightly nodded, addressing him to carry on. "We successfully retrieved the two bullets from his left shoulder and lower abdomen. He lost an awful lot of blood and so we had to carry out a blood transfusion. He has some minor injuries but they should heal fairly quick and have no effect afterwards. We also have done the best we can to help his back, but his lower spine was damaged. This has resulted in Det. Taylor being paralysed from the waist down. At this stage we cannot possibly tell if it will be permanent or not as he's currently comatose and we don't know how much he can feel until he wakes. That is the last thing, actually. Det. Taylor is in ICU and comatose and we are hoping he will wake but it's not certain at this point." Jo couldn't muster any words as she tried to stay strong. She didn't trust her voice and she just looked at Don asking him silently to say something.

"Erm, i-is it possible if we could…see him? Or if ju-just a couple of us could…?" Don tried his best to keep his voice from quavering but it was proving difficult.

"You can see him, but only two, three maximum, at a time." Don just nodded at this, and the doctor turned to leave.

Don looked around the room. The whole team had tears in their eyes as all the different possibilities of what Mac's fate would be were darting around their heads. He knew that someone had to take charge and decide who would see him first and since he understood Jo felt too weak to talk, he chose to make the decisions.

"Jo, why don't you Tyler and Ellie go first? You can take as much time as you want, we don't mind…" As he said the last sentence everyone quickly agreed by nodding or murmuring things barely audible. Jo looked down at where they were both sat and they nodded whilst getting to their feet. Ellie took Jo's hand as Tyler wrapped his arm around her shoulders and the three made their way down to the ICU.

As they walked down the long corridor, Jo felt sick. She'd been waiting hours to see him but she was terrified of how he'd look and if it would be another painful image stuck into her mind. She had never liked hospitals; the smell freaked her out and reminded her of death and illness. The only times that she was happy to be in a hospital were when she had Tyler or when she was visiting someone after they had a baby. As they entered ICU, both Tyler's and Ellie's grips tightened and she felt more fat salty tears threaten to spill down her cheeks. There were a few rooms down a small wing of the unit and as they walked past each one she felt worse and worse. They finally reached the last room and through the window all three saw the once strong and unstoppable Mac Taylor. Except it almost looked nothing like him. He was a deathly white, he was connected to machines all beeping rhythmically, his hair was sticking up in all directions and he had a weak, pained expression covering his face. She stared at him for a few minutes before Tyler spoke up.

"Mom, why don't you go in and have some time alone with him, and then if you need us, we'll be right out here." She turned her head and nodded and walked away from her son's comforting arms towards the door.

I gently opened the door and slipped inside almost silently, just a soft click from the door closing again announced my presence. I approached his bed as the tears came flooding down my cheeks. I couldn't believe Mac looked this weak, I wanted to just make everything better but I was powerless. I brought the chair up to the edge of his bed and took his hand whilst sitting down. I tucked my knees under my chin and looked at him once more. I now noticed all of the smaller injuries that his doctor had briefly mentioned before. He was shirtless, wearing some sort of sweat pants and an array of bandages covered his toned chest. He had a large wrap-around bandage around his lower back from where they'd operated on him. He had a gauze on his left shoulder/collarbone and I could see the outline of the other under the wrap around bandage form his other wound. I figured he'd have bruises on his back from the fall and I also saw 11 stitches on the right side of his head, I presumed from the fall also. I couldn't let go of his hand. It was scarily cold. I missed the warmth that he normally gives off when our hands brush when passing a file or a piece of evidence.

"Oh Mac…" I sobbed, trying to clear my tears however they carried to fall onto our entwined hands. "Please, just at least squeeze back. I need to know you're still here and that you're not going to leave me. I can't do this without you. I can't _live_ without you. I need you, hell, we all need you!" Uncontrollable sobs took over me once again and I was glad that the chair hid me from Tyler and Ellie. "Please Mac…Do this for me. For _us_. I-I Love you, Mac, I can't go on alone. I just can't." My whole body was shaking and my tears were now pelting down my cheeks onto our hands. I heard the door open and Tyler approach me but it felt distanced, I felt so alone. Even when Tyler and Ellie were holding onto me, trying to help me, I still felt so alone.

I was getting fed up of this blackness. I'd made up my mind so it should be simple from here, shouldn't it? Obviously not. I felt as if I'd gone to sleep for hours even though I knew I wasn't conscious to begin with. I _'woke' _up from wherever I'd been into the blackness once again. It was slightly different to before, it felt more promising. Like the fight was getting easier, God, I hope it was. I was in an amount of pain that I never thought was possible. My back felt sore and my left side ached. I also had one of the worst headaches that I've ever had. This is weird for me as I have such a hard head, so when I do bang it there's not often pain. I felt like I was under water but I could hear something in the distance. I heard a distant beeping. It was constant. Apart from that it was quiet for quite a while. That was until I heard soft footsteps approaching me. They sounded almost familiar. Then it hit me. It sounded like the way Jo walked in her biker boots. A sudden urge to come fully back to consciousness came over me but I couldn't muster up the strength to open my eyes. I then felt her soft hands glide over my right hand and one held onto it tightly, as if her life depended on it. That's when I felt her soft tears hit my hand. I so desperately wanted to reach up and wipe her tears from her cheeks, to hold her in my embrace, to tell her that everything was alright and that I wasn't going anywhere. But I couldn't. I felt exhausted and it pained me when I heard her begging me to squeeze her hand back and I knew I couldn't. Not yet. As she spoke I wished that I could reassure all of her worries. I wanted to scream, for Christ's sake! _'I AM here Jo! I promise you I'm not going to leave you. Not now, not ever!' _She'd stopped talking as more sobs took over her. I could feel her shaking through our connected hands. I wanted to cry at the fact that I couldn't comfort her and hold her. I was also mentally kicking myself for being unable and too weak to wake up from this damn blackness to literally show her that I wasn't gone.

She started talking once again through her sobs. She was begging again. Another pang of guilt struck through my heart once more. I was trying to build up enough strength to at least squeeze her hand back when I heard her say _those_ words. _'For us.' _Those two words echoed throughout my head for a few seconds. _'I-I love you, Mac.'_I couldn't believe it. Had Jo Danville, the woman I love with all of my life, just said that she love _me? _I was ecstatic, to say the least! My determination rose to an all-time high. I had to tell her that I felt the same. That I would never leave her and that not giving up was the best decision I think I've ever made.

I could feel myself getting further towards consciousness. I had given up on trying squeezing her hand, it wasn't worth it. Not when I could look into her beautiful eyes. I still could feel her long slender fingers curled around my hand. She hadn't spoken to me for a while but I'd heard other voices. Two to be exact and I'd figured them to be Tyler's and Ellie's. I was still building up my strength when I heard Jo say something to them.

"I suppose we should let everyone else come and see him, probably thought we'd gotten lost." I could hear the strain in her voice and her weak effort at making a joke. I was scared that she'd leave just as I'd built up my strength.

"Mom, why don't you stay here and then me and Ellie will go and get someone else so you can have a bit longer and then you can come back. Hey?" I was so relieved when I heard the door open and shut but without Jo's hand leaving mine, meaning she'd accepted Tyler's offer.

"I love you with all my heart, just…just try to wake up. Be you're usual stubborn self and wake the hell up!" It was a whisper but I heard it. I heard her slight joke. I needed to hear her beautiful laugh and she'd just given me the last bit of strength that I needed.

My eyes started to crack open to be greeted by dim light. It surprised me as hospitals were normally so bright, but I guess it could be night. I'd felt like I'd been out for months! I had to briefly close my eyes again to adjust my eyes. I panicked as I tried to breathe, but then realised that I could breathe on my own and I had a tube going into my nose to help me if I needed it. My eyes flicked towards our entwined hands and then I saw her just gazing down at them. She obviously wasn't expecting me to wake up. So I squeezed her back as I made an attempt to speak.

"Jo..."

**As always, please R&R and I hope you liked this chapter! x**


	8. The Perfect Waking

Chapter 8 – The Perfect Waking

**Hey! This is another long chapter and I hope you enjoy it! It's not **_**too**_** serious and it's quite light-hearted and happy after the first little bit but that isn't exactly bad! So, this is what happens when Mac wakes up and the next chapter might carry on a little more of the same stuff but have some more seriousness to it and that one will most likely deal with Mac's injuries. Anyway… As always I don't own anything and I'm simply borrowing. Another note is that I'm not actually sure when this is set or when Lucy's birthday is but this is set most likely sometime in the second half of 2011 and I'm guessing Lucy's age. Please R&R – I love to know that people are enjoying my writing, thanks! **

_My eyes started to crack open to be greeted by dim light. It surprised me as hospitals were normally so bright, but I guess it could be night. I'd felt like I'd been out for months! I had to briefly close my eyes again to adjust my eyes. I panicked as I tried to breathe, but then realised that I could breathe on my own and I had a tube going into my nose to help me if I needed it. My eyes flicked towards our entwined hands and then I saw her just gazing down at them. She obviously wasn't expecting me to wake up. So I squeezed her back as I made an attempt to speak._

_"Jo..."_

My voice was hoarse and dry. It was painful to even murmur her name but it was so worth it. Her head shot up like a bolt of electricity had just gone through her. She stared at me in pure shock for a couple of moments with her mouth hanging open. I couldn't help but laugh lightly at her although I wish I hadn't as intense pain started shooting throughout my body. It was then that I must have snapped her out of the shock when I grimaced.

"Oh, Mac! Don't laugh, please don't!" She paused for a moment. '_Was Jo Danville really speechless? Normally she doesn't shut up, she's just been talking to me whilst I was still out and now she's speechless? Did she not expect me to wake up?' _I was brought back out of my thoughts as Jo carried on speaking. "Is this a dream? I'm scared that Tyler's gonna wake me up, and that you're not going to be awake and that-that y-you… that you won't be, erm, here…" Tears were streaming down her face and her beautiful eyes were blood-shot and full of salty tears. If only I felt stronger, it was killing me – well not literally – to not be able to reach out and softly brush them away. I cleared my throat knowing that I had to give her comfort, however painful or difficult it may be.

"I promise you, Jo, that I am not going anywhere. Like you said I'm stubborn and when I heard that you couldn't live without me, I couldn't just give up. Could I?" My voice was still hoarse but it was soft. I now had tears in my eyes as I could see the cogs in her brain turning, working overtime, figuring out how I knew what she had said to me.

"Y-you heard what I said? All of it? Or just parts?" I could see the look of hope, worry, excitement and nervousness all take over her beautiful features, so I put her out of misery.

I gently squeezed her hand and I let a small smile tug at my lips. "All of it, Jo. When I heard you enter the room my determination became even stronger to wake up – and that was before you started begging and pleading -" I paused for a second. I was becoming breathless and I wasn't sure if the pipe in my nose was helping or not. Jo now had a smile on her face as I had said the last part and I knew I needed to add the last bit. The most important thing. "- When I felt tears hit my hand I felt so guilty for causing you pain I had to come back for you, for everyone, for _us_." I stopped to allow her to absorb my words and I decided to keep the best part 'til last. Hope was growing in her yes every second, so finally I told her what I knew she was waiting for. "Oh yeah – for the record – I love you too, Jo Danville." I was so serious when I said those words yet I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. I knew she felt the same and the grin that broke out onto her face simply reassured me further. She was set to the left of me, her back to the door and window looking in from the corridor. I knew for a fact that I shouldn't move my left arm unless someone was putting it into a sling or bandaging it, until it healed, but I didn't care. I _needed _to wipe away her tears, feel her face against my palm. I slowly raised my arm, taking it out of her hand and reached out shakily until I felt her soft skin in my palm. I no longer cared about pain, as long as I had her to help me get through everything I would survive and come out the other end of the tunnel just fine – if not better. I found it funny how I could quickly ignore the horrible pain as I saw her eyes flutter closed and I felt her head leaning into my palm. She was perfect and just as I was about to remind myself of the most beautiful words to escape her lips, she told me them again. "I love you so much, Mac Taylor." We both lightly laughed. Who would have thought that waking from a coma could be so pleasant?

She broke me out of my thoughts as she leaned closer to me, her face now a few centimetres away from mine. I carefully leant forward and softly brushed my lips against hers. I pressed a soft kiss on her lips and we savoured the moment before she finally kissed me back. It started off gently, almost afraid of what we were doing. I placed my right hand on her face and deepened the kiss, confirming to her that I was certain, that it was _no_ mistake. I gently broke away slightly and murmured "I will always love you, Jo. Never doubt it. This is forever." As soon as I'd spoken the last word her lips crashed back onto mine. I nibbled her bottom lip then ran my tongue over it soothing it and she quickly granted me access. Our tongues battled in a fire of passion and love for each other. This was _definitely_ the best thing to wake up from a coma to. I went into blackness as a man with no one to love and I come out as the happiest man alive. It's weird because I have a feeling that my injuries aren't great due to the amount of pain that won't seem go away – however still I lay – and so there must be a serious reason why. When air becomes too much of an issue for both of us we slowly break away.

We both are now smiling like Cheshire cats as Jo quietly speaks "Wow… That was the… _the _best kiss…ever. God, if I knew that you could kiss like, I'd have confessed my love for you a long time ago, Taylor." I couldn't help but smirk, but hey, like I said the pain is worth it now I've got Jo.

We just gazed into each other's eyes for a few minutes, both unbelievably happy. "I love you…" we both managed to say at exactly the same time, resulting in laughter. I managed to ignore the pain too busy gazing at the woman that held my heart but then the pain grew too much and forced me to instinctively to clutch my lower abdomen.

"Mac, are you okay?" Jo had stopped laughing and now worry filled her precious eyes.

"Yeah, though I think the pain medicine is wearing off." I smirked, getting over the pain. We sat there just smiling, holding hands, totally oblivious to the audience whom we had now got. I looked up for a brief moment after I'd noticed something behind Jo move, in the corner of my eye.

"I think they missed you." I grinned at her; she looked gorgeous when she was confused. "There are some people in the corridor; I can't make out whom though." Jo quickly turned her head to see the people outside of his room.

"Tyler and Ellie had gone to get a couple more people; it's not supposed to be many at a time."

"Who is it? I can't quite tell…" My voice was getting stronger and back to the way it usually sounded; much to my relief.

"Tyler, Ellie, Danny, Lindsay, Lucy and Don." Jo smiled at him. "And by the looks on their faces, they appear to have given us privacy resulting in them being completely oblivious that you're awake and talking!" Jo laughed softly as I raised my eyebrows.

"Well, I could pretend to still be out and then I could hold my breath – resulting in alarms going off – and then I might finally open my eyes…"

"Mac Taylor! You are not going to trick your friends thinking that you're about to drop dead! I'm not actually sure if you were ever hurt to begin with!" We laughed for a few seconds. "Mac… We thought you might not wake up. They weren't holding out much hope. Right now, I'm the only one that knows you are okay and not on your death bed! And even though I would love to just stay here and ignore the rest of the world; I'm being selfish and you're friends deserve to know that superman will make it!"

"Superman?" I couldn't help but smirk at Jo as she blushed, lowering her head slightly. I placed my finger under her chin raising her face so I could look her in the eyes once again. "I love you Jo and you are one of the most selfless people I know. But I do agree that maybe we should let them in on the secret of me being okay."

"Mac, you're making jokes and laughing, you're kinda doing great! And we should also make sure that at some point we tell Hawkes, Adam and Sid as well – I'm starting to wonder if Sheldon will have any soles on the bottoms of his shoes soon..."

"He was that bad? Normally it's Danny or Flack… Was what they said that bad?" I almost didn't want to know the answer and Jo just shook her head, confirming that they really thought that I was a goner. More tears collected in Jo's eyes.

"Hey, I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. I have no idea what my injuries truly consist of and at the moment I don't care. As long as I have you I will be fine and I will make it past every hurdle I need to jump until I'm back to full fitness – okay? But now, how about you break the news…Or we could trick them…" Jo shot me a playful glare at tricking them. "Oh yeah, right. I forgot. Tricking them isn't nice, right… I _must _remember that! Before you go, I do need one more thing from you though."

"And what would that be?"

"This…" I gently murmured as I cupped Jo's face in my hands once more and brought our lips together into a kiss so gentle yet full of passion and love. We gently broke apart and she slowly stood up.

"I'll, um, be back in a minute… I have no idea what I'm going to say to them, y'know."

"Sorry to make it hard for you." I smiled back at her actually not sorry one bit.

"Never be sorry darlin'. You've got nothing to be sorry for." And with that the love of my life walked out of the room, the door closing softly behind her.

Jo walked out of Mac's room trying to hide the biggest grin that had ever been plastered on her face but failing miserably. As the group of people heard the door open they all spun to face Jo, expecting her to be in tears or at least looking worried. When Tyler and Ellie had left her before she was in a state and they had explained it to the group in the waiting room, the fact that it wasn't looking promising. Lindsay had been preparing herself for Jo to collapse into her arms once again, and then the three ultimately trying to prepare to see the man that they admired and loved so much being in such a bad way. So from all of these thoughts you can imagine the confusion on their faces when Jo came out with a grin that was bigger and cheesier than a Cheshire cat, and then proceeded to burst out laughing.

"Erm, Jo… Are you okay? Is Mac okay? What happened?" Lindsay wasn't sure if this was a good sign or possibly a sign of Jo going mad?

"I can't believe it Linds! He loves me! Mac Taylor loves me!" Jo had almost screamed as she wrapped her arms around her extremely confused children.

"Woaah, slow down, Jo! So he's awake? Like, actually awake?" Danny asked eagerly with a hint of excitement showing in his features.

"Yeah! He woke up a minute or two after Tyler and Ellie left!"

"B-but they said that he might not even wake up! How the hell does he do that?" Danny asked now laughing.

"I need to go and tell the others!" Lindsay screamed running down the corridor back to the room.

"So… I did prepare him for visitors so why don't we get of this darn corridor and talk _to_ him instead of _about_ him? You're lucky I didn't want to go along with his plan. He wanted to hold his breath, make alarms go off and then make you jump at the last moment – I told him it was cruel and unfair!" Jo laughed fondly at the memory.

Jo entered the room first with Ellie and Tyler following behind and then finally Danny with a now very excited Lucy perched on his hip. As soon as she could see him she screamed.

"Uncle Mac!" She jumped out of her father's grasp and made a bee-line to her godfather's bedside. Mac couldn't help but smile.

"Hey, Lucy-Lu. You okay?" She nodded eagerly. "Why don't you come and sit next to me and keep me company, eh?" Danny stood next to the door shell-shocked. Mac sounded like he always did and even though he was obviously injured he still helped Lucy jump onto the bed next to him, only grimacing once when he moved his shoulder.

"I take it you're feeling better then, Mac? Y'know when I woke up after the shooting at the bar I couldn't even lift her up then – and she was still just a baby – but you're lifting a four year old and you've got two gun-shot wounds and got knows what else!" Mac smirked at Danny's shock.

"She's my god-daughter Danny, I want to see her just as much as I want to see the rest of you but since she's so young, why not let her sit with me? Isn't that right Luce?"

"Yeah!" Lucy replied eagerly to which Mac smiled.

"Erm, have you alerted a doctor yet guys?" Danny asked.

When neither replied, Danny headed towards the door. "I'll be back in a few!"

Mac, Jo, Tyler, Ellie and Lucy all talked about everything and anything apart from the reason they were in the hospital. Both Mac and Jo didn't want to think about it yet, they knew he'd have to get a statement taken to confirm what actually happened before he could right the report on the arrest. Jo also didn't want to mention his back yet; she was worried about what the tests would reveal and how Mac would cope if it turned out badly. Mac knew something was wrong with his lower back and his legs as well but he was too afraid to ask and to dampen the mood. He was happy to be alive and that's all that mattered at the moment.

They had been talking for about five minutes when the door opened once more, this time with the rest of the team and Doctor Samuels.

**It's not a great ending but if I carried on then I have no idea how much longer this chapter would have become! I hope you liked it and I hope that I did Mac's POV okay and that it wasn't too much out of character for him! Please leave me a review and I'm also hoping to write some more Mac/Jo fics, possibly one-shots, so if you've got any ideas about what you would like me to write about then let me know! Thank you as always, Beth xx**


	9. Injuries

Chapter 9 – Injuries

**Hey, I'm really sorry for it taking me so long to update. I was on holiday last week and I wrote this chapter out then as well as a couple of one-shots. I've only just had chance to edit and type this one out since I've been really busy since I got back home! Anyway I hope you like this, as always I own nothing, and please R&R. I really appreciate the reviews! This is also quite a long chapter, but hopefully you'll like it. Thanks **

_They had been talking for about five minutes when the door opened once more, this time with the rest of the team and Doctor Samuels._

"Detective Taylor, it's good to see you awake. I'll give you and you're friends a few minutes alone before I need to run some tests." Mac nodded as the doctor left the room.

"So, how're you feeling' man? You gave us all quite a scare." Don asked as a very clear image of Mac's pale, lifeless body flashed through his mind.

"I'm doing okay. My voice is back to normal and I'm with the people I love and care about the most. Physically, I feel awful. My back aches, I've got a banging headache and my shoulder is burning up. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the wound on my abdomen is just about killing me. Apart from that, I'm fine." Mac just looked around the room at his friends shocked faces, waiting until one would speak up.

Adam was the one to break the shocked silence, "Do you want me to get the doc, boss?" He sounded genuinely worried about Mac's explanation. Normally they would just expect the usual two word explanation of 'I'm fine,' with nothing else, but this wasn't normal; for any of them. Mac simply didn't see any point in lying to his friends. He knew that they were genuinely worried about him and by the looks of things he'd need their help in the foreseeable future. He would have to tell them how he felt at some point, so why not now?

"I'm good, Adam. He'll be back soon enough." He said on a sigh, knowing that the tests were most likely to do with the lack of feeling in his legs. "Are you lot okay?"

"Okay? Mac we were literally told that you were going to die or never wake up! Hawkes has driven us crazy with his pacing and I thought that my 'Dad-away-from-home' was dying and we were helpless! Now, you're acting calm and collected, cuddling Lucy, like you weren't in a coma such a short time ago! Do you really thing that we're okay, Mac? Really?" Lindsay was now in tears after her sudden little outburst that had caused literally everyone to just stare at her in shock with their mouths hanging open in astonishment.

Lindsay was clinging onto fistfuls of Danny's shirt as he tried to comfort her. Hawkes started to shuffle causing Flack to give him a nudge. "Sorry… for pacing, Linds." Hawkes said sheepishly which brought everyone back to the present. Mac reached for Jo's hand and squeezed it tightly, attempting to keep his emotions in check and to give him the courage to speak to Lindsay. He was a little scared of another upset and angry rant flying his way, but he had to say something, even if it was out of his normal stoic character. Maybe shedding a little of his human emotion couldn't hurt? He'd already done that with Jo and he got the most amazing outcome better than any he could have ever dreamt of. As Lindsay's cries calmed down he cleared his throat and prepared himself.

"Lindsay…" His voice was soft and calming, there was also an understanding tone to it that could reassure and sooth just about anyone. "…I'm sorry. I'm sorry for scaring you all, hell I didn't want to be here when I woke this morning. I wish I wasn't in this damn bed but I'm relieved I'm the one it and not any of you lot. If you guys weren't here then I wouldn't have had a reason to fight against and beat the odds. I know I'm not gonna be running after a suspect anytime soon… we all know in our minds what those tests are going to be for when the doc comes back. I'm not going to lie to you, Lindsay; I've never been more scared in my life than I am at this moment right now. I have no idea what kind of life I'll lead after I get out of here, nothing is certain in life and this just proves it." Mac inhaled a deep breath as Jo squeezed his hand to let him know she was still there. Danny had tears in his eyes as he remembered being in a similar position to Mac not that long ago. He'd been lucky and beaten the odds but it wasn't forced to be the same for Mac. Just like Lindsay Mac was like a father figure to him. He'd been there through everything and helped Danny many times. He'd given him advice on Lindsay, work and he'd been there when Louie was beaten. Mac was the one to comfort him and help him through the pain of losing his brother. He'd been there for Lindsay after she'd killed Shane Casey and he was there working off his ass trying to get the people responsible for the bar shootings. Mac had always helped them all in one way or another, whether that was giving advice or listening to you or sometimes giving you a talking to make you see sense. The man had been through so much and he'd helped everyone else get through their battles.

After gathering his emotions, Mac carried on. "You're all my family and for once I need to be weak and show that I'm human. If this isn't it, then I don't know what is. I'll need you're guys help to get me back to the man the city knows and I know I'll be a pain in the ass. I'll be relying on you lot to stay together and fight until I'm strong enough to come back. However long that takes… I'm sorry Linds, I'm sorry to all of you for scaring you so much and Sheldon, I'm sorry for making you turn into a crazy man. If I need to, I'll buy you a new pair of shoes." Everyone smirked at the statement as Sheldon bowed his head in embarrassment. "All I want is to ignore the reality of everything and be with my friends for a bit. Lindsay, you'll never loose me without one heck of a fight. If today had taught me anything then it's that I have _everything _to fight for."

"What, it hasn't taught you to be careful to keep an eye out for your suspect when you're following them down a fire escape? Seriously Mac, is that all you learnt?" Everyone laughed at Don's sarcasm and they were relieved that the seriousness had disappeared. In the backs of their minds they still couldn't quite believe how outspoken Mac was being but then again, he'd hand quite a big bang to his head…

Before another conversation could start up the doctor walked in again. The group quickly said their goodbyes whilst Jo hung back. She placed a gentle kiss on his forehead and still held his hand. As she got up to leave Mac refused to let go. She turned around and barely heard him whisper "Stay," She nodded and sat back down, looking into each other's eyes. She didn't ask for a reason why he'd asked her to stay as she felt she knew deep down inside. She was just happy that he hadn't already pushed her away as she feared he would.

The doctor walked back in and started to run various tests. "okay, Detective, I'm going to run some basic tests to see if you have any reactions in your legs. Once I've done this I can explain in more accuracy how we expect treatment to take place during your recovery." The doctor started explain the tests as he carried them out, the whole time Mac held Jo's hand firmly, never wanting to let go.

After 20 minutes the doctor had run all of his tests and he walked out to grab a few bits of data and some x-rays before coming back in to start explaining.

"At the moment, from the waist down, you're totally unresponsive. From your x-rays it shows that with therapy on you lower back your injury should correct itself. However, only then will you be able to start physical therapy. You could start getting feeling from time to time in your legs from any point though you may not at all. You'll obviously need to have some feeling in your legs to start physical therapy but even with the occasional twinge you can start. It could take from a few months to a couple of years until you can walk or run again, like nothing happened. Therapy will be painful and tiring, it will take a lot of patience and determination. We can give you exercises to do at home as well to increase the speed of recovery. Your other injuries you may have figured out but I need to explain them in case. You have two gun-shot wounds – both have been stitched up and will need the bandages changed twice a day until they heal. We'll put your left arm into a sling in the morning then you should limit how much you use it until it has fully strengthened again. You'll have a lot of pain in your lower abdomen and you're lower back may also be painful at times. You have bruises on your back but they should heal like any other normal bruises. You may suffer headaches and those stitches will need removing at some point as well. There's no doubting that the next two weeks will be the most painful and difficult. You'll be sore. Once most wounds on your torso had healed it'll be easier to move on your own as you're upper body will be stronger. Until then you'll have to be dependent on other people. I've put you on pain meds with clear instructions. The dosage is alight one, which with my permission you can increase. I know you're history and worries of becoming addicted but I can assure you that will not happen. By the looks of things, you should be able to go home in about a week. Obviously you cannot live on your own yet until you can get around by yourself again."

"What if I can't walk again? What will I do then?" Mac didn't want to ask this question but he had to figure out all possibilities. This was his future after all.

"Hopefully it won't be a problem, but if that was the case over time you would be able to get around in a wheelchair without assistance. Many people do and though it's hard to get used to at first you can tend to live a normal every day to day life and it isn't an issue. Like I said, once you're upper body is strong enough you'll be shown how to do things in therapy and you'll be able to get around on your own more. Technically you could live on your own then but you may have to adapt your apartment more than you did before. Will it be a problem to find someone who can stay with you?"

Before Mac could get a word out, Jo spoke up.

"He can stay with me. It's all on one level unlike his. And there's an elevator so that won't be a problem.

"Okay. Well I'll leave you two alone to talk things through and I'll check up on you in the morning, Detective Taylor." Mac nodded, too shocked to speak at what Jo had just agreed to.

"Jo… I don't want to be a burden on you. You've got your own life, you don't need me to be in your way…" Mac was cut off by Jo's lips on his.

When they broke apart Jo quietly spoke. "Mac I need you to stay with me. I don't care if it's just like you moving in with me and I don't care that it's technically really sudden and fast. You have to let me get through this with you Mac, I want to help… Let me, please?" Mac nodded as he pulled her into another kiss, this one full of passion and when Mac pulled back Jo's head was spinning.

"Can you stay with me?" His voice was low and husky and if anyone else had been there they wouldn't have heard it. "Yeah," Her reply was soft. She walked out the room, telling him silently that she had to sort a couple of things out; Tyler and Ellie.

Once the door had close he turned his head away from it and let his tears fall. He didn't want to move in with Jo under these circumstances. Like she said it was sudden, they'd only revealed their feelings in the last couple of hours, now they would be living together. He saw her point though, he had a higher level with he would no longer be able to get up on his own. He hated not being in control over things though. He couldn't believe that he had so many injuries. He'd been thrown over a balcony before and only suffered from a few cracked ribs and a broken arm. Why did this have to happen? Why were his injuries ones that would take so long to recover from; if he ever did?

He couldn't imagine not walking again, not being able to take his morning run, trying to swim… he couldn't chase suspects and he'd be mainly stuck in the lab. He'd be trapped, trapped in a damn wheelchair. He'd lost his freedom in a matter of minutes.

Jo walked down the hallway to the waiting room. She wanted to cry but had no tears left so instead she was just in her own parallel universe. She was scared shitless for him and she was going to try her best to help him through this. She made a silent promise to herself to never give up on him however bumpy the road got. She opened the waiting room door and all eyes were on her.

She shook her head as a couple of tears managed to prickle her eyes. "He, erm… might not be able to walk again." She wiped her tears and masked a sob with her hand. Lindsay stood and pulled her into a tight hug. Out of everyone she knew how Jo felt the most. She's been there with Danny and now Jo was there with Mac. It all depends if he starts to feel anything. He'll have therapy on his back and that will fix itself over time, but… but it's not guaranteed he'll ever get feeling back or that physical therapy will work." Jo explained as she pulled away from Lindsay. "I'm gonna call Russ to pick Tyler and Ellie up; I'm gonna stay with him."

"No need, Jo." Danny said joining his wife at Jo's side. "Mac did loads for us after the bar shootings and after Casey. We're gonna return the favour to you both."

"Danny, I really appreciate it but there's not enough room for both of them."

"Then I'll take 'em home and I'll stay on the couch. I don't need to be anywhere else and like Danny said, Mac was great after the bar shootings. He kicked be back in line and I'm not sure I'd be here if it weren't for him. I honestly don't mind, Jo." She nodded her head at Flack who had kindly stepped up.

"Thanks, I really appreciate it. I'll give you a call in the morning to let you know what's happening." Jo gave everyone a hug goodbye and made sure Tyler and Ellie would be okay before she headed back to Mac's room.

15 minutes later when Jo returned Mac was still crying to himself. He didn't wipe the tears away nor did he turn to face her. There was no point masking his tears as he knew she'd see them fall at some point. He needed Jo and he couldn't deal with this on his own, though he couldn't face her as fear took over him, fear of seeing all the emotion in her beautiful hazel orbs. If he looked into the depths of her eyes he knew that he'd see her own fear and worry and then he would lose the last inch of control over him emotions.

"Look at me, Mac. You're going to get through this however long it takes. _We're _going to get through it, together. I promise." Her voice was soothing to him and it was even yet full of emotion and feeling.

"That's the thing, I'm not sure I'll be strong enough to be patient. To hope and try for something I might not even be able to achieve."

He hadn't turned to her but his voice had cracked and he was sobbing. Jo had never seen him this emotional and it scared her _'What if he couldn't cope? What if he didn't really want her around to help him? Would he push everyone away? Would he retreat back to his shell? Would he even walk again? Be the Mac Taylor they all knew and loved?' _She mentally kicked herself for even thinking such things and decided to move onto the bed and sit beside him.

She put her arms around him and to her surprise he didn't tense up and try to push her off. Instead he turned in her arms and sobbed into her neck. She tightened her grip around him and nuzzled the top of his head, leaving gentle kisses as she did, whilst scraping her fingers through his chocolate cropped hair. New tears of her own were also falling but not as fiercely as his were.

"I'm scared. I'm gonna be hell. Everyone will hate me. I might never get better to make it up to everyone. I'm sorry Jo, I promise you when I'm stronger I'll make every moment special. I love you." His voice was a whisper in between his sobs but she could hear it.

"I'm scared too, Mac. But I'll help you through this even if you do drive me up the wall. I know there would be no place I'd rather be, and I'm afraid you're gonna be stuck with me, Taylor." Jo whispered in reply.

"Good. D'you sort Tyler and Ellie out?" His sobbing had stopped and there were only a few tears falling from his sapphire eyes. They carried on whispering as there was no need to talk any louder.

"Yeah, I did. Y'know our team's great. I've heard about how they all seem to come together when something happens. I know about the shootings at the bar, and I know Danny and Lindsay will do anything to help us. As a team there's been a lot of tragedy, Mac, that you've all gone through, whether it was before they joined or whilst it was when they were in the force. Believe me, slow crime days are filled with all kinds of stories. I feel like I've been with you lot all along and I know for a fact that they're not giving up on you. You're gonna be back in the field, Mac. It's you and you're stubborn ass, we wouldn't expect anything less. Chasing suspects might be tricky at first though… we could get you one of those electric scooters!" They both laughed at the thought of Mac weaving through the streets of New York, on a mobility scooter, chasing a suspect. "You're gonna walk again, I know it. You're too determined to give up, we both are, so when you start to doubt yourself, I won't let you fall down that route. I'll tell you to be…"

"…my usual stubborn pain in the ass, again?" He finished the sentence for her as she smiled.

"Yeah, something like that."

They settled down just chatting about random stuff before Mac heard Jo's breathing even out and so he decided to try and get some well needed sleep as well. He gently kissed her just under her ear and whispered to her.

"I love you, Jo Danville."

**Please leave a review and I'll try and update soon, but I'm going away tomorrow until Friday so I'll get some ideas in my head to write some point over the weekend or next week! I'll try my best to not leave you waiting too long! This small holiday may also bring up some ideas for a shorter fic that will include the whole team, so I'll try and write that one soon! Thanks, Beth xx**


	10. Coming Home

Chapter 10 – Coming Home

**Hey! This chapter is about Jo and Don taking Mac home from the hospital. I'm not really keen on this chapter and I'm gonna try and make sure the next chapter has some fluffy-ness in it, cause I love Mac and Jo together and I haven't written enough of it like I first intended! I'm planning on moving on a bit faster with Mac's recovery and only writing about the major parts and not dragging it out too much. I'm also about to start writing a bit of an AU fic for Mac, Jo and a couple of OC that's been whizzing around in my head for the past couple of days! I'm not giving up on this though if I don't post very fast again as the next three days are my birthday weekend and then Wednesday I've got my first day in year 10. As a result I may have loads of homework but I'll try to update whenever I can. Disclaimer: I own nothing. Please R&R! Beth x**

It had been a week since the incident and Mac had awoken in the hospital. The team had visited every day after their shifts and Jo had only left two times after Don had literally had to drag her out. When she had been forced to leave she had gone over to Mac's apartment and collected him clothes so he wasn't stuck in the stuff the hospital had given him. It had been a very busy week for the team as well as a slow one for Mac. He'd had therapy on his lower back meaning that he could start the physical therapy soon. He'd also gotten slightly stronger above the waist and the normal Mac Taylor was starting to return. He and Jo had been shown what to do when he needed to move, by nurses, and Don had also taken a quick crash-course so that he could help the two of them. Even though Mac had seen this when Danny had been injured he still couldn't get over how well his team pulled together when one of them was injured.

Mac was sat on the edge of his bed, legs dangling to the floor without feeling. He was wearing a pair of baggy dark denim jeans, which had been moderately destroyed, with a tight fitting black undershirt. He was just staring at his legs, willing his toes to move. He wanted to scream in frustration but knew this wasn't the place for that. He was broken away from his frustration as the door swung open and Jo came in, with a bounce in her step. She had a cheeky smile on her face and was holding some papers on a clip board in her well-manicured hands. She wore skinny black jeans, her boots, and a white casual button-down shirt. Her make-up was light and her hair was scraped into a small pony-tail.

"Does this mean I can finally get out of here?" Mac asked, smile lighting up his face at the sight of her.

"Well, Detective Taylor, all you need to do is sign the papers and then you're mine!"

"Pass them over then… I don't mind being yours." He replied with a smirk and a sly wink to which Jo just laughed and passed the papers and pen.

A couple of minutes later when Mac was just signing on the last line his doctor and Don walked in with a wheelchair. Mac passed the papers to the doctor and looked at Don, giving him a curious look with raised eyebrows.

"What? Just thought you and Jo could do with a lift… and I kinda need to pick up my bags from Jo's." He added sheepishly.

"I still can't believe you slept on my couch for a week and looked after my kids, Don. I told you I could have called Russ…"

"But Jo… we aren't big fans of Russ, so it was the least I could do. They're good kids anyway."

"Okay, are you two ready to get going? I want you both to try and do this without any of our help, 'cause it's going to be just you two for a while now…" Both Mac and Jo nodded at the doctor's orders and began the routine for getting Mac in the wheelchair. Jo brought it up to the side of the bed and put the locks on. Mac slightly shifted as Jo came to help him lift a little of his weight. He placed his hands on the arms of the chair and made a quick move into the seat whilst Jo assisted. Although his strength had built he wasn't quite as strong as before yet, so Jo helped lift him each time a little. He then grabbed his legs by his jeans and put them in place. The two looked up at the doctor who had watched them and he nodded his head approvingly.

"You're a fast learner, Detective Taylor, and with Detective Danville here I'm sure you'll make progress very quickly and soon become independent again." Mac just nodded, the fact that they still were clueless about whether he would walk again or not.

Jo kicked off the breaks and they made their way down to the exit where Flack's car was parked. The doctor followed them out to ensure they could manage this. He wouldn't be able to get into any trucks or SUVs for a while, unless someone lifted him, so Jo was going to have a car swap with Flack until further notice. They repeated the same procedure and he was safely inside the front passenger seat. Jo folded up the chair and placed it in the boot. They waved goodbye to the doctor and drove off to Jo's apartment.

They had been driving for about 10 minutes when Flack broke the silence. "Sinclair talked to you yet?"

Mac sighed before answering. "I've got a meeting with him next week. I'm officially off on paid sick leave for the next week and then he wants to see me after my first therapy session; see how it's going, the chances, what they say about me returning. For now, the only work I have to do is sign some reports that Danny and Jo will be writing and checking."

"Your signature's that important? I didn't know you were going back, Jo."

"Not fully. I have to go in for three hours every afternoon to make sure Danny and Lindsay are okay and to do a little supervising, collect files, write reports, the occasional crime scene. If I had it my way, I wouldn't be going back until Mac was cleared to live by himself, but y'know Sinclair… apparently the supervisor and his second in command can't both be out."

"Why do I have the feeling that Sinclair wasn't the only one telling you to work a little…" Flack laughed along with Jo as Mac feigned innocence.

"Who? Me… Never!" Mac also joined in with the laughter failing to act serious.

After a couple of minutes Don decided to bring up Mac's other injuries, genuinely worried that he would injure his wounds trying to do things by himself.

"The doc said that I only have to wear the sling for a couple of hours in the morning and overnight. I can lift myself with it…"

"…with help, remember!" Jo butted in from the back seat.

"Okay, okay, with help I can. I'm getting the stitches out when I go for my first therapy and then I shouldn't need to wear the sling unless I'm in pain." Flack shook his head in disbelief at how this man could still try and say that he was alright, resistant to help.

They pulled up outside of Jo's apartment building and Don and Jo climbed out to get Mac's wheelchair. They helped him in and Flack grabbed the duffel from the back seat which contained some more of Mac's clothes and toiletries. Jo pushed his chair inside of the building, the door being held open by the doorman who smiled and nodded his usual 'hellos'. They got in the first elevator that arrived and pressed button 3, for Jo's floor.

The ride up was quiet as all three were stuck in their thoughts and worries of what was going to happen over the next few months. The gentle ping announced their arrival on the correct floor and Jo pushed Mac out, Flack following. The reached for her keys and Don opened the door for her before closing and locking it behind them.

"Tyler! Ellie! We're home!" Jo shouted causing the TV to be turned down and the noise of two pairs of feet make their way to the entrance hallway. They both gave Jo a quick hug and hello before they turned to Mac and Don.

"How're you feelin', Detective Taylor?" Tyler asked after giving a nod to Don.

"I've been better, but I'm glad to get out of that hospital, so not bad. And just call me Mac… I've had that doctor being formal with me all week, your fine to call me by first name." Tyler nodded sheepishly and Jo gave him a pat on his arm.

"Right! Coffee anyone?" Jo asked as they all nodded and Don wheeled Mac into the living room.

"Hey, you wanna sit on the couch or what…? Need anything?"

"Don." Mac warned. "I'm fine, I'm still human. You don't have to treat me like I'm going to keel over any minute and die if you don't pay full attention to me. If I need something I'll let someone know. I hate doing it, but I know I need to ask. I've gotten used to it. I'm okay where I am at the moment, thanks." He said the last sentence on a softer note as he knew that the younger Detective was only trying to be helpful and a good friend.

"You sure?"

"I'm sure." Don nodded and went to help Jo make the coffee.

As he entered the kitchen Don exhaled deeply and leant against the counter.

"He being stubborn again?" Jo queried.

"Not really. It's just… I don't know. I suppose it's just finally sunk in. Normally he'd have offered to help you get coffee, or make himself at home… but he's just sat in that sodding wheelchair not even being able to push himself around in it!" Don's voice was strained with emotion that he so desperately wanted to let go of, but knew he couldn't in Jo's kitchen, and the fact that he had to keep his voice down didn't help.

Jo simply squeezed his arm as she looked at him with sad eyes before speaking. "I know, Don, I know. Ever since I met him I knew I was falling in love with him, when we finally told each other I thought my life would become perfect…" She paused, shaking her head quickly swiping tears before they could fall. "I never expected that the beginning of our future together would start with him in a wheelchair. But here we are! You know what though… I wouldn't go back for the world. I finally have the man I love and I'm going to help him get back to what he was before, however long it takes. I love him, we have to do this."


	11. The Beginning of a New Life

Chapter 11 – The Beginning of a New Life

**Hi! Oh my god, I am SOOO sorry for not updating this in pretty much forever. I have a ton of excuses but one major one was I had a major writers block and I couldn't think of anything to write. However due to my science class being extremely boring today I managed to come up with some ideas and this is the result of it. I'm considering this being the end however a part of me want to carry on. If I do then it could be a REALLY long story although if I don't then I might write an epilogue or something like that. Please review and tell me what you think and what you'd like me to do; carry on or finish it…  
>Anyway, in case you hadn't already realised, I own nothing, just the plot. I hope you enjoy and please R&amp;R!<strong>

"Are you sure that you're both going to be okay, Jo? I can stay a bit longer to help…" Flack's kind, hushed words died down as he and Jo stood in the entrance hall of her apartment.

"I'm sure, Don. Mac would feel guilty if you just stayed longer to help him. Anyway, I can easily get him into bed." Jo said smirking at the double meaning.

"I'm sure you can Jo, but remember he's injured!" Don replied earning himself a light slap to the arm whilst they both laughed softly. "Okay, okay! I'm going! If you need anything, and I mean _anything_ then just give me a call. I don't care what hour it is, if either of you need my help…"

"I know Don; now get your butt out of here!" They both said another quick goodbye before Don left and Jo closed the door. She leaned back and sighed, closing her eyes momentarily.

_She saw Mac sauntering through from the kitchen with a loving smirk and boyish look on his face, towards her, before wrapping his strong arms around her waist and giving her a kiss so full of passion and love that her legs gave way. He'd then gather her up gently into her arms before kissing her neck as he carried her into her bedroom and closing the door with his foot behind them. Her infectious laughter filled the room as he left butterfly kisses along her neck and down her chest as he started to play with the hem of her shirt… _

Jo was snapped out of her dreamland as she heard Mac, Tyler and Ellie laughing from the living room. She sighed, wondering if her little dream would ever become a reality before she mentally slapped herself. She should be thankful for what she had. She had Mac, the man she loved and he wasn't going anywhere. She also had the best two children that she could wish for. She just had to remind herself how close she came to losing Mac forever to realise how blessed she was. They could make it together. This was their beginning, no-one else's, and truth be told… she wouldn't change it for the world. This beginning would only make them stronger, not weaker. Their bond would be something that could never be broken, the here and now just proving so even more.

She pulled away from the door and headed back into the living room, a genuine smile appearing on her face as she saw the people whom she loved laughing and chatting happily. Mac, who was now sat on the sofa turned around and frowned slightly when she entered.

"'You okay?" He asked suspiciously, a hint of worry in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Does anyone want anything to drink, whilst I'm up?"

"Erm, nah. I think me and Ellie are gonna head off to bed, so you can spend some time together. I need to finish some work as well." Tyler said nudging his younger sister in the side and gave her a look that said: _'Go with it. No arguing.'_ She sighed and finally nodded her head as they both stood up saying goodnight to Mac, Tyler giving his Mom a kiss on the cheek and a hug before Ellie hugged Mac and then hugged Jo.

"What about you then? Want anything?"

"Just you."

"W-what?" Jo asked shocked by the seriousness of his voice and face, unsure of whether he was kidding or dead serious.

"Don't worry, Jo. I'm kidding. Well… kind of. It's, uh, a little too soon, probably, and anyway I'm not exactly supposed to be doing much exercise… or movement. But what I would like is just to hold you." The last sentence was said in a whisper, as if he was worried that she would turn him away. "It's not like I can feel my legs, even if I could I still wouldn't care. My back's the problem."

"What about your chest? I don't want to hurt you Mac."

"I'm fine. Any pain is worth holding you, Jo." She nodded her head as she walked over and gently lowered herself into his grasp always cautious to lean away from the bullet wounds and to try and not lay on his injured arm. Mac's arms quickly encircled her body, as his sling was off, and he started drawing abstract patterns across her back. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed in contentment.

They sat there for hours, simply happy to be next to each other. At that point nothing else mattered apart from the other person; their soul mate.

Mac had been out of the hospital and living with Jo for just over a week now and had attended his first therapy session for his lower back. As his doctor had originally stated his arm was now out of a sling however his stitches on his head were still not ready to come out yet and needed another week. His arm was regaining strength again and he could now lift himself in and out of his wheelchair, most of the time anyway.

He sighed as Flack pulled up in Mac's spot in the underground garage of the crime lab. Today was his meeting with Sinclair and he didn't really want to tell his boss the statistics. He hadn't told anyone yet, not even Jo or Don. He could use the excuse that he's just come from the therapy session, but he'd called Jo in the car and well, Don had been with him for the past half hour driving through the busy streets of Manhattan. He just couldn't bear to say it out loud. No, if he did that then that's when it became real. It was his reality not a nightmare. He wanted to put that off for as long as possible.

He undid his seatbelt as Don came to his side with his wheelchair. _His _wheelchair. He never expected to have his own; though he never expected this to happen to him. Just like he hadn't with Danny. It's just something that comes up and slaps you in the face out of nowhere. You never saw it coming…

He was wearing black combat trousers, a fitted V-neck black top and a pair of sneakers. Normally he would never go into a meeting with the Chief, his boss, dressed as casual as this but did he really expect him to be in his slacks and a dress shirt and blazer? It's not the right sort of clothing when you're in a wheelchair, especially when you can now get around more by yourself.

Mac lifted himself into the chair and placed his legs in the correct places before backing himself out so Don could shut the passenger door. They went to the elevator and Mac pressed for the 33rd floor, where the chief's office was situated. As they rode up the floors various people entered and exited the elevator, including lab techs and other officers that worked in the building. After the incident there had been several newspaper articles about it and about Mac, as well as the usual gossip that had spread like wild fire around the department.

There were a lot of shocked faces when people first cast their eyes upon him before they quickly covered them up with polite nods and smiles. He'd lost weight, though he hadn't been large in the first place, his hair had grown so his natural unruly curls were starting to show and he had a bit of stubble. His muscles were also visible in his body fitting shirt and the stitches on his head made him look like someone who didn't want to be messed with. He was a different man to the man that the crime lab knew as their supervisor and lead detective, yet he was the same man as before. The look on his face showed that he was all business, it didn't matter what clothes he was wearing, he was going to always be their fearless leader with the stern glares – when needed.

Finally there was a ping to announce his arrival on the chief's floor and he wheeled himself out of the lift, nodding to Don as a silent goodbye. He wheeled himself to Sinclair's receptionist's desk.

"Detective Taylor. It's great to see you again. Chief Sinclair's ready for you to go through now." The brunette receptionist announced cheerfully when she saw him.

"Thanks." He said and smiled politely as he made his way to the office door. He took a deep breath before knocking and gently pushing the door open. He pushed himself inside as Sinclair stood from behind his desk and quickly walked round to close the door again.

"It's good to see you, Mac."

"It is?" Mac couldn't help himself. They'd never seen quite eye-to-eye. Sinclair was all about the politics whereas he just wanted to concentrate on getting victims' families' the closure that they deserved, by catching the murderers and scumbags.

Sinclair decided to ignore the sarky comment and carry on. "I take it that you've had your first therapy session. Have they told you anything about coming back to work, how long recovery will take…?"

"Yes, I did. I can return to work this week, but they advise only to be in the lab and to take it slow at first. My strength is still not back to what it was but it's improving. Since I've gotten my sling off, today, I can now do a lot more for myself. I could start going out to scenes in the next few weeks but it may be hard because of accessibility although I am intending to. Even if I can't collect evidence, as the supervisor and a detective, I need to be up to date on all cases. If I can go to some scenes then it will help an awful lot."

"When can you start this week?"

"Tomorrow. I can't work quite the same hours yet, I can return to normal after about 3 weeks." Sinclair nodded before pressing for an answer for one of his previous questions. One that Mac didn't want to answer.

"And what about recovery. You didn't mention anything. What did they say today?"

Mac sighed deeply, memories of the conversation that he had with his doctor and therapist. _'It shouldn't take too long for your back to repair itself, I'd say a few more sessions. However from the few tests that we've conducted today, there are still no signs of you getting feeling back in your legs. The longer you're without feeling or movement the more unlikely it will be for you to get the movement back.' His doctor had stated. 'Do I have any chances of getting my legs back?' He'd dared to ask, swallowing the lump in his throat. The doctor took a deep breath and glanced at his feet before lifting his eyes back to Mac. 'I'm afraid it's very unlikely. Normally we can see some sign of movement or feeling at this stage but so far we have nothing.' Mac raked a hand through his hair and threw his head back, before croaking out 'What are the numbers?' attempting to swallow an impossibly big lump in his throat._

He repeated his actions of raking his hand through his hair and prepared himself to tell his boss the answer. The truth. He would be the first one to find out. Why couldn't this be a nightmare and any minute he'd wake up and everything would be back to normal? But then again, normal would mean no Jo, no relationship with the woman he loved. _Loved._ He was in _love – again. _The impossible had become possible – he'd found love again and he wasn't going to lose it.

"The doctor said that if I'm lucky, then I'll have a 5% chance of getting some sort of feeling in my legs. Movement's looking unlikely, that's more around 1%. Maybe lower." He took a deep breath and pushed his stubborn self to the front line once again and decided that he was stronger than this. Mac Taylor did _not _give up. Not now, not ever. "But I'm going to take what they give me. I'm going to be waiting for that 1% to show up. I'm not giving up. I'm not going to give up anything. Not my job, my lifestyle, my friends, or my hope or determination."

Sinclair just nodded, too shocked to speak. After a couple of minutes he cleared his throat and spoke. "I doubt you'd give up hoping Mac. You're determined, that's for sure. If you need anything then let me know. Although I do believe you have a lot of help; especially from Detective Danville. I've heard the rumours Mac about you two, they've been going on for a lot longer than the couple of weeks, since the incident. However I'm being led to believe that what the two of you have is new…"

"Yes, sir. We told each other how we felt when I woke up in the hospital. She'd come too far to losing me and we figured that time wasn't always on our side. We can't help what we feel and that the feelings are mutual. You know that I don't like to mix my personal and work lives together; I'm a very private man and so mine and Jo's relationship won't interfere with our work, if anything it will make us a better team."

"You know, I'm not sure what it is, but I'll accept it. However if it gets involved in your work, that's both of you, then you will have to be ready for the consequences. I can tell you love her; I'm not the kind of man to keep two people in love separated. I'll let you go and tell your team your news about returning, and I'll see you tomorrow morning at ten."

"Yes, sir."

The elevator doors opened to reveal the love of her life with a small smile on his face. His posture relaxed, happy to be back in his lab. His home of sorts. Their eyes met through her open office door to the hallway. She knew for certain there and then that they were forever. This wasn't a case of having feelings towards each other once and then they fade away. No. _This_ was their future. _Together. _Through thick and thin. The ups and downs. Life and death.

Jo Danville had been working in the New York crime lab for 1 year, 2 months, 12 hours and 7 minutes. Meanwhile she had spent 1 year, 2 months, 11 hours and 2 minutes falling in love with her boss, partner and friend; Detective Mac Taylor.

**Finish it or carry on? Let me know what you think. Anyone who wants or has asked for a sequel to 'NYPD Movie Night' don't worry, I have a load of ideas for that but here in the UK it's 00:05 and I'm exhausted, so I'll try to write the sequel tomorrow! Thanks again for reading, Beth xx**


	12. Epilogue

*1 Year Later*

Waiting by the elevator on the 35th floor, Jo Danville felt a surge of happiness rush through her body. She was tired and aching but things were good. Her life was good. Glancing around her eyes landed on the 'glass box' that now had her name plate on and held her many infamous coloured sticky notes. All of Mac's photos and possessions had been replaced with hers about 6 months ago. It had been bittersweet; promotions were well deserved but the change was a shock to the system.

A lot of change had happened in the past 12 months. Just two months after Mac had returned to working in the lab Danny and Lindsay announced that they were moving out the city, so Lucy could be in a better environment to grow up in. Soon after they had announced this, they'd gotten confirmed job offers; Lindsay would be working part time at New Jersey Crime Lab and Danny would be working full time on another team.

Two weeks ago they'd moved into their new house and so far were doing great; due to start working after the weekend.

During this time Mac and Jo hand picked two new members for the team; one was now second in command. Adam had been moved up to an official CSI and they had a new 'lab rat'.

The elevator pinged, announcing its arrival, breaking Jo from her thoughts. Stepping into the metal box she pressed floor 30 and checked her hair and make up in the reflection of the now closed doors.

Stepping out she strutted down the corridor, confidence oozing off her figure. She nodded to the occasional person she knew as she approached the chief of detectives office. It was a whole different world just 5 floors down. The offices had less and less glass onto the corridors and there was a lot more wood. It still felt spacious and modern but a lot more private and somewhat more serious. She reached the end of the corridor and entered through one of the double glass doors. There was a desk set to the side opposite a couch, for visitors to wait on, and straight ahead was another set of double doors; only this time wooden.

Offering a small a smile, Jo passed by the personal secretary and entered through one of the doors, closing it behind her.

She couldn't help a smile from breaking out on her face. Behind the large - new - wooden desk sat the new Chief of Detectives: Mac Taylor.

He was wearing a new black dress shirt, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a tie hung around his neck, loosened, with the top button undone. His eyes shone as his gaze lifted up and landed on Jo.

"Detective Danville, what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked, a smirk playing on his lips as he placed his pen down.

"Chief Taylor, I do believe that you were requested to attend one Miss Lucy Messer's 'Princess' and Pirates Party'. Or am I incorrect?"

He let a chuckle slip past his thin lips. "That time already, huh? Could'a sworn I'd only just gotten back from that meeting five minutes ago!"

"C'mon Cowboy. We need to get going. They don't live in manhattan anymore! And I presume you wanna change first?"

"Alright, alright! I'm coming. Hold your horses!"

Gently pushing his chair back, he swung to the side and grabbed a wooden cane lent against his desk. Slowly pushing himself up he walked slowly using the cane for support.

Jo came and grabbed his suit jacket, helping him put it on. "You okay?" She gently whispered in his ear, smoothing down the material on his shoulders.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just a little stiff. They'll warm up after a few steps."

"You didn't do your exercises again, did you!" Jo accused, standing in front of him; efficiently blocking his exit.

"I just... Sorta forgot... Got buried down in paperwork and trying to convince myself that I like politics." Jo snorted a laugh at the end of that. Most people were aware that politics and Mac Taylor didn't get along. But he was trying his best, and so far was doing great.

Deciding that they'd had this discussion before, Jo simply turned to leave and together they made their way out of his office.

Mac locked the door behind them and said goodnight to his secretary before following Jo through the second set of doors.

He could confidently walk with two crutches and was now able to go day to day with just one cane. He was a little slower than he'd like to be, but he'd take anything he could get. Simply being able to walk was amazing and so with time he knew he'd carry on getting stronger and soon be able to walk without a cane at all.

Half an hour later, Jo pulled into her parking space in the garage of their apartment. Together they got out, Jo grabbed her purse and Mac's briefcase from the backseat, then Mac entwined their fingers together as they made their way up to the apartment.

As soon as the front door closed Mac pinned Jo against it and kissed her senseless; passion, hope, lust, desire and love rushed between them. When they finally broke apart they were both breathing heavily.

"I love you" Mac breathed out as he rested his forehead against hers; his hands holding onto the doorframe to keep him upright, with Jo's hands wrapped around his well-built body.

"I love you, too. But however much I want to drag you down that hallway and have my wicked way with you, I know that you promised your goddaughter that you'd go to her party. So, how about one more kiss then we go get ready?"

Instead of replying he simply took Jo's bottom lip between his teeth, sucking and nibbling it gently before kissing her breathless, once again.

"Tonight. If I can't have you now, I'll have you when we get home later. Deal?"

"Deal."

-

Over the years their lives had changed so much. Ellie was now legally adopted by both Jo and Mac, although they decided that they weren't going to get married. However they both wore chains with identical rings on; engraved with their name and the date they confessed their love. Mac also had learnt to walk again even though he'd have to use a cane for long distances. Jo didn't mind though; he'd built up more muscles and now his were good competition against Danny's. Life was good. They were happy and in love. Nothing could spoil what they had.

The end.


End file.
